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justme

Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:08 am Post subject: |
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Baba Alex wrote: |
but should we now simply dispense with everything that makes the Engliah language hard. What is more good, simple language for comunicate, or more good student what is working hard for understand non-regulars. Shall we get rid of Perfect tenses ? Esperanto anyone ?
Yes critical thinking is much more important than how to spell, Q or cue or queue, but surely analysing the nuances and differences between languages can be a part of that.
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I wouldn't mind never having to teach perfect tenses again. Especially with a British textbook because I'm such a terrible model. I'll spend a lesson teaching them the adverbs you almost always use perfect with, then turn around at the end of the lesson and say, 'I didn't eat yet, I'm starving!'
But I definitiely agree with you about nuance and synonomy-- maybe it's not always the the most important thing for the students to learn, but it's by far the most interesting. At least to me, anyway, and I gotta have something to get me through the day. Sometimes I'm teaching, thinking to myself, 'I'm gonna make you little freaks appreciate this godd*mned langauge if it kills me.' It's when they want all the rules, black and white, right and wrong, that makes their English suck even in the most banal of contexts. I also think there's a lot more to be learned from nuance than rules, at least as far as the core meaning of the language. Even though I advocate, on one hand, not trying to teach native-like competence if it doesn't serve their puprposes, I would hate to teach this simplified, dried out, soul-less Night of the Living Dead International English dialect I imagine will come into being in classrooms someday... |
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dmb

Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't mind never having to teach perfect tenses again |
I kinda like teaching the perfect aspect. Even though I've 'taught' it a thousand times it still interests me. |
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whynotme
Joined: 07 Nov 2004 Posts: 728 Location: istanbul
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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i hate teaching present perfect cont...it is maybe beause i ve been teaching it for 8 years.  |
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Baba Alex

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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In a conversation about smoking in the staff room, a non-smoker came out with the gem
' Well now I'm a passive smoker, I'm mean, I am smoked'
You had to be there. |
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Baba Alex

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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dmb wrote: |
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I got a 1 hour discussion and a 3 hour scanning lesson out of it... |
Have you tried to use a thread from Dave's in class. Obviously you need super advanced intelligent students to follow the intellectual discussions we have here. |
I went to a very interesting conferencce on writting the other week, and there was a very good speach on Genre Analysis and the use of authentic materials in class. As soon as I can find a thread that doesn't make TEFL teachers look like, Dogmatic Moany Turk hating arseholes, I use one. |
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justme

Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Have you used a thread from here before? If so, which? I'd be interested to try it, and suspect at least half of my students could handle it... |
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Baba Alex

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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justme wrote: |
Have you used a thread from here before? If so, which? I'd be interested to try it, and suspect at least half of my students could handle it... |
no but I may be using one this weekend |
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31
Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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Baba Alex wrote: |
dmb wrote: |
Quote: |
I got a 1 hour discussion and a 3 hour scanning lesson out of it... |
Have you tried to use a thread from Dave's in class. Obviously you need super advanced intelligent students to follow the intellectual discussions we have here. |
I went to a very interesting conferencce on writting |
writtting?
''She`s got double-D`s! You just can`t cover those suckers UP!''
Jessica Simpson`s dad. |
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Baba Alex

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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31 wrote: |
Baba Alex wrote: |
dmb wrote: |
Quote: |
I got a 1 hour discussion and a 3 hour scanning lesson out of it... |
Have you tried to use a thread from Dave's in class. Obviously you need super advanced intelligent students to follow the intellectual discussions we have here. |
I went to a very interesting conferencce on writting |
writtting?
''She`s got double-D`s! You just can`t cover those suckers UP!''
Jessica Simpson`s dad. |
yes, writtting. |
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Baba Alex

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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31 wrote: |
Baba Alex wrote: |
dmb wrote: |
Quote: |
I got a 1 hour discussion and a 3 hour scanning lesson out of it... |
Have you tried to use a thread from Dave's in class. Obviously you need super advanced intelligent students to follow the intellectual discussions we have here. |
I went to a very interesting conferencce on writting |
writtting?
''She`s got double-D`s! You just can`t cover those suckers UP!''
Jessica Simpson`s dad. |
by the way when you make plurals you don't use an apostrophe. So it should be double-Ds. |
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31
Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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Baba Alex wrote: |
31 wrote: |
Baba Alex wrote: |
dmb wrote: |
Quote: |
I got a 1 hour discussion and a 3 hour scanning lesson out of it... |
Have you tried to use a thread from Dave's in class. Obviously you need super advanced intelligent students to follow the intellectual discussions we have here. |
I went to a very interesting conferencce on writting |
writtting?
''She`s got double-D`s! You just can`t cover those suckers UP!''
Jessica Simpson`s dad. |
by the way when you make plurals you don't use an apostrophe. So it should be double-Ds. |
I know. Tell that to Jessica Simpson`s dad. I got the quote from National Enquirer. (Feb 14, 05) |
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